Long-Lost French Film Resurfaces After 30 Years, Tanks Directors’ Careers

If you haven’t heard of this movie, it’s understandable—it was prohibited for decades before finally being released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 4, 2024. The film in question is “Le Franc-tireur,” starring the late Philippe Léotard.

The film caused such an uproar that its directors, Jean-Max Causse and Roger Taverne, never directed another movie again. This was their only feature film. Presenting a rather unflattering depiction of the French Resistance during World War II, “Le Franc-tireur” was censored and denied a theatrical release in 1972.

After remaining hidden for 30 years, it finally appeared in cinemas in 2002, albeit in a very limited release with just six copies. It wasn’t until 2024 that the general public could rediscover this work, thanks to a DVD and Blu-ray release by Extralucid Films. “This film was banned for 30 years by the Gaullist authority,” reads the preamble in the video edition.

Reasons for Censorship

So, why was “Le Franc-tireur” subjected to such severe censorship? The story follows Michel Perrat (played by Philippe Léotard), the son of a collaborator from Grenoble. He goes to his grandmother’s house on the Vercors plateau to wait out the war.

On July 21, 1944, German troops storm the plateau and kill his grandmother before his eyes. Forced to flee, he joins a small band of resistance fighters and civilians, struggling to survive for three days and nights.

Originally, directors Jean-Max Causse and Roger Taverne envisioned the movie as a sort of French western, inspired by films like “Rio Bravo” and “The Man from the West,” set in Vercors, a symbolic location of the Resistance during World War II.

Shot in natural settings, “Le Franc-tireur” is first and foremost remarkable for its absolutely stunning mountainous landscapes, marred by the horrors of war encroaching on these previously untouched lands.

In just 75 minutes, the film wastes no time with unnecessary digressions. It thrusts us into the frantic escape of resistance fighters fleeing the German offensive, forced to hide deeper and deeper in the bushes, attempting to delay the inevitable. The film shows a formidable efficiency and presented a fabulous actor in his major debut role: Philippe Léotard.

A Thwarted Release

In 1972, just as the film was ready to be released, the production company went bankrupt and the only copy of the film was locked away. In the mid-1980s, director Jean-Max Causse, who also owned cinemas, managed to purchase the copy. He then attempted to screen “Le Franc-tireur” at film festivals.

It was supposed to be featured at the closing gala of the Grenoble Film Festival in 1986. Unfortunately, this plan was scuttled when the local newspaper “Le Dauphiné Libéré” published a front-page article by the president of the Anciens du Vercors.

He described “Le Franc-tireur” as an “unspeakable farce that went from feast to feast, bedding to bedding, and drinking binge to drinking binge.” For the veterans, the film portrayed a demeaning image of the Resistance, which was unacceptable.

Faced with scandal, the film was pulled from the program and forgotten for many years. If it caused such a stir, it was for a good reason. Indeed, post-World War II movies like “La Bataille du rail” by René Clément offered an almost idealized view of the Resistance, with a narrative that seemed untouchable.

Deconstructing a Myth?

After May 1968, this narrative was challenged by controversial films like “Lacombe Lucien” by Louis Malle (1974), “L’Armée des Ombres” (1969), and “Le Franc-tireur.” These films presented the Resistance in a less glorious light with a rather sharp critical edge. Naturally, they were not well-received by the government or the veterans, whose heroic image was tarnished.

Thus, the character of Michel Perrat, a collaborator’s son who joins the Resistance more out of survival instinct than real commitment, greatly displeased the veterans. For them, the directors were bent on deconstructing the myth of the World War II heroes.

However, watching “Le Franc-tireur,” one can see characters of undeniable humanity, trying to resist with the few resources they have in a total war environment. Regardless, the film is now accessible to everyone on video, allowing you to form your own opinion.